 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Katie
Date: 1999-07-05 02:39
I'm on my 4th year of playing the clarinet, and am searching for a wooden clarinet to buy. I've heard that Buffets, Yamahas, LeBlancs, and others are all very good, but I just can't decide. If anyone plays on a wooden clarinet, I'd appreciate if you could give me some tips on buying and choosing.
Thank you a lot!
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Author: Dee
Date: 1999-07-05 05:16
Katie, you will need to try them out for yourself. Every player likes something different. It is impossible to make a perfect clarinet. So each manufacturer decides what compromises he will incorporate to achieve a good sounding and good playing instrument. Decide which model that you want to try from each line and try out several individual instruments of each type if you can. Also be sure that you are comparing models of a similar caliber, i.e. intermediate to intermediate, pro to pro, or premium to premium. Otherwise you may get a distorted picture of how the horns compare to each other. Also be sure to use a good mouthpiece. Some stock mouthpieces are very poor and will also bias your comparison. Clarinet makers just are not nearly as skilled at mouthpieces.
In a way, it's not as hard as it seems. When you start trying out horns, there will be one that just seems to fit you and you will know it immediately.
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Author: Sara
Date: 1999-07-06 04:22
I agree with Dee 100%. Everyone has their own personal standards of what a clarinet is 'supposed' to have I say try out as many as you can get your hands on and get the one that works the best for you. Every clarinet is different so there is no way,really, to say what brand is the best. I can say one thing though, when trying out clarinets bring a mouthpiece/Reed?" ligature that work well for you currently so that your results will be consistantly reliant upon the instrument itself. Good Luck! Hope I could help!
Sara
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Author: paul
Date: 1999-07-06 16:22
Also, keep in mind that your own playing skill may have to be considered in selecting a wood clarinet.
For instance, I am an adult novice. I checked out intermediate grade horns a few years ago and found one that satisfied my needs at that time. I personally preferred the horn that was easier to play and much more forgiving of sloppy fingerings and other novice level mistakes. The horn that I selected at the time worked very well and was a joy to play. The tone produced was a bit bland, but it was the right horn for me at the time. That horn was a great way to begin learning the art of the clarinet all over again.
I now have a premium pro grade horn and I can play it fairly well at the novice level. However, it took me years of work to get only this far on the premium horn. The sound produced by the premium horn is fantastic, but it took a lot more work than my intermediate horn to get it to sound this good reliably. For instance, I had to relearn and finely hone accurate fingerings. This is still a big problem area for me. Then, I have to produce a flexible and well exercised embouchure, which is always a challenge. I always use a good reed with a good quality and tailored third party mouthpiece. I also make sure the horn's pads and keys are aligned correctly and tweaked just right for my fingers to prevent some of the inadvertent squeaks.
So, with all that said, have fun shopping for a wood clarinet. Be careful to look for obvious defects, such as cracks, missing or nonfunctional keys, leaking pads, etc. If the horn is new, be sure to get the pro shop to fix it up for you. Ditto if it's used.
Also, beware that wood clarinets come in all grades (student, intermediate, pro, premium pro), so if it looks like a bargain basement price, understand that you are probably being shown a student grade horn (US $300 to $500 or so for a new Bb soprano clarinet at full retail price). In the middle are the intermediates (US $700 to $1200 or so). On the other hand, if the sticker price blows you out of the water (US $1700 to $2400 and then on up to about $5000), chances are pretty good that the salesperson is showing you a pro grade horn or a premium pro grade horn.
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